With Conviction
by Zaichik Arky
Summary: Another story about the childhood and friendship/love of Severus Snape and Lily Evans.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note:

Ok, so here's the 2000th story about the childhood of Lily and Snape. It's not terribly original or close to the better ones, but I hope you guys will like it anyway. I've written this first chapter and the very last chapter. My goal is to finish in between. I don't imagine this will run too much further than 5 chapters. It is not designed to be an epic.

The italicized part is from Chapter 33 of _Deathly Hallows,_ of course.

The young black-haired boy's hair shined as he crouched over a sewer drain. The people passing him by gave him odd glances as they raised their eyebrows at the strangely-dressed, skinny boy poking around in the drain. He was used to odd-glances his entire life. His parents were usually too busy fighting to pay attention to what he did with his time, much less to the kind of clothing he wore. On this particular day, he was wearing dirty brown shorts, worn tennis shoes, and an oversized flannel shirt. He rolled up the sleeves on the shirt, considering the heat of the summer air.

He couldn't explain to the muggles that he was looking for _ferrumin grubs, _a standard type of worm, only visible to the magical world. These worms loved to eat metal, and little known to muggles, helped in the rusting process. _Ah here's one_. He smiled as he plucked a purple-ish fat worm from the sewer drain. He looked up to find a group of three girls passing by him, a mother, and her two daughters. He recognized the older one instantly as _Petunia _as she gave him her characteristically snotty gaze as she passed by him with her family.

"Tuney, look at all the pretty flowers!", the younger one mentioned to her older sister, not noticing the object of her sister's repulsion. They gazed at the display at the florist.

"I think there are petunias and lilys in there as well as out here." The mother joked, as Petunia groaned and Lily giggled.

The boy still observed the three of them as he put the ferrumin in his flask. As they talked about the display and pointed the various flowers out, he noticed that the youngest girl was ever-so-slightly… levitating. Yes! It was unmistakable… she had risen off her feet several inches as she pointed to the roses and smiled. The boy grinned. She had to be magical, just like he was!

But before he could even ponder his next step, he noticed Petunia whisper urgently _"Lily!" _and tugged on her sister's arm so that she was back on her feet. Lily gave an apologetic look to her sister as their mother, apparently not noticing, ushered them forward. Noticing that the boy had been staring at them, Petunia gave him one final quick glare before they headed on.

So he hadn't been imaging it after all! They might have not known that Lily was magical, but they did know that she was unusual, after all, and that she could do unusual things. He had to talk to her, he had to tell her that she was a witch.

After that chance encounter, the boy was determined to learn as much about the young muggle-born witch as possible. He noticed that the sisters often played at the park where the younger performed her magic tricks to her disapproving older sister. His favorite hiding spot was in the bushes, where he remained unseen and unheard as he greedily watched her. _She must be a really powerful witch to perform that much magic without a wand. _He said to himself as he watched her twirl 5 times in mid air in front of her scowling sister. _It had to be today!_ He thought determinately. The boy couldn't help smiling as he thought how happy she would be when he announced that she was a witch. She definitely would want to be his friend as he would be introducing the magical world to her, and since he had no friends, he relished in the opportunity. He watched her swing higher and higher as her sister looked more and more aghast.

"_Lily, don't do it!" shrieked the elder of the two._

_But the girl had let go of the swing at the very height of its arc and flown into the air, quite literally flown, launched herself skyward with a great shout of laughter, and instead of crumpling on the playground asphalt, she soared like a trapeze artist through the air, staying up far too long, landing far too lightly._

"_Mummy told you not to!"_

_Petunia stopped her swing by dragging the heels of her sandals on the ground, making a crunching, grinding sound, then leapt up, hands on hips._

"_Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"_

"_But I'm fine," said Lily, still giggling. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."_

_Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves and, though the girls did not know it, Snape. Lily had picked up a fallen flower from the bush behind which Snape lurked. Petunia advanced, evidently torn between curiosity and disapproval. Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closing its petals like some bizarre, many-lipped oyster._

"_Stop it!" shrieked Petunia._

"_It's not hurting you," said Lily, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back to the ground._

"_It's not right," said Petunia, but her eyes followed the flower's flight to the ground and lingered upon it. "How do you do it?" she added, and there was definite longing in her voice._

"_It's obvious, isn't it?" Snape could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. Snape seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of color mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily._

"_What's obvious?" asked Lily._

_Snape had an air of nervous excitement. With a glance at the distant Petunia, now hovering beside the swings, he lowered his voice and said "I know what you are."_

_"What do you mean?"_

"_You're… you're a witch," whispered Snape._

_She looked affronted _

"_That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"_

_She turned, nose in the air, and marched off toward her sister. _

"_No!" said Snape. He was highly colored now, and Harry wondered why he did not take off the ridiculous large coat, unless it was because he did not want to reveal the smock beneath it. He flapped after the girls, looking ludicrously batlike, like his older self._

_The sisters considered him, united in disapproval, both holding on to one of the swing poles as through it was the safe place in tag._

"_You are.," said Snape to Lily. "You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."_

_Petunia's laugh was like cold water._

'_Wizard!" she shrieked, he courage returned now that she had recovered from the shock of his unexpected appearance. "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river," she told Lily, and it was evident from her tone that she considered the address a poor recommendation. "Why have you been spying on us?"_

"_Haven't been spying," said Snape, hot and uncomfortable and dirty-haired in the bright sunlight. "Wouldn't spy on you anyway, " he added spitefully, "you're a Muggle."_

_Though Petunia evidently did not understand the word, she could hardly mistake the tone._

"_Lily, come on, we're leaving!" she said shrilly. Lily obeyed her sister at once, glaring at Snape as she left._

Snape couldn't hide his bitter disappointment as the girls hurried home. Who would have guessed that Lily took being called a witch as a slight? It wasn't an insult in his world, it was something to be proud of. He wanted to walk away from their first encounter as friends, and instead he'd fuddled it up. He sighed as he headed home. _I guess I will just have to wait until Hogwarts to make friends. _

The next day, trying to forget about the young witch, Snape went back to what he spent most of his days doing- collecting potion ingredients. With a shovel in one hand, and a flask in the other, he used his arm to wipe off the sweat from his forehead as he concentrated on digging. _If only glumbubmbles didn't hide so well _, he muttered to himself as he dug his hole deeper. He had been concentrating so hard that he didn't notice a girl approach him.

"Hello." She said, slightly cautiously.

"Oh!" He gasped and fell backward, in surprise, as Lily was standing right in front of him.

She laughed. "I'm sorry. I guess I snuck up on you today." She offered her hand to him.

Hesitating only for a moment, he took it and she helped pull him up easily. She looked at her hand, now with a thin layer of dirt on it as she tried to wipe it off with her other hand.

"I'm sorry…" he blushed. "I was just digging…"

She smiled. "That's alright. What are you digging for?"

"Glumbumbles."

"Glum..bumbles?" she repeated, slowly.

"Yes… magic…er.." he hesitated. "People like me can see them. We use them to make potions."

She was quiet for a moment, contemplating this. "Will I be able to see them too?" she finally asked.

Snape nodded. "Yes, you will."

She smiled. "Ok, I believe you."

"You do?"

"You seem so adamant about it, after all. Er…" she paused. "I wanted to apologize about yesterday. It didn't seem like you and I got off on the right foot. Let's try this again." She held out her hand. "Hello, my name is…"

"Lily." He interrupted, before gingerly taking it.

"Yes…." She laughed. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm a little behind. I don't know what your name is."

"Severus." He said, shyly.

"Severus." She repeated, looking into his eyes. "I don't know anyone named Severus."

He blushed and looked away. "Magical families like to name their kids after famous witches or wizards. I'm named after a powerful wizard. 'Severus the Severe.' It was rumored that he invented the crucio curse.

"Curse?" She repeated. "Magical people curse others?"

"Well, they're not supposed to," he said, quickly. "It's against the rules."

"Oh…"

"I guess there is a lot to explain to you, but if you give me a chance, I will try."

She smiled. "Thank you. I'd appreciate any kind of reason I'm doing these strange things that no one else is…" she said. He could feel the loneliness in her voice.

"You're not alone. I do 'strange' things too. Dad hates it, but… I guess mum is just happy that I'm not a squib. I can't control my magic really well yet, but soon we'll be off to Hogwarts to learn about how to control it."

She nodded at him, looking very confused. "Alright…"

He sighed. "Sorry. I guess I'm getting too carried away. I've never met anyone like myself other than my mum."

"It's ok, Severus. You are the first one I've met too."

"Hey, Lily…" he started. "Do you want to help me look for glumbumbles? I can start by teaching you about potions."

"Sure! " she replied enthusiastically as she crouched down by his hole. "I guess it's a good thing I wore shorts today," she laughed.

Snape smiled and sat down on the ground next to her. He handed her the shovel. "Glumbumbles like to hide underground on hot days like this. They're a key ingredient in a lot of potions, including healing salves and anti-hexing potions. "

"What do they look like?" she asked.

"They're small, fuzzy, and give off this reddish kind of glow when they're agitated."

"Alright." She replied, determined to spot one.

They dug in silence for about 20 minutes. Lily shoveling heaps of soil onto the grass as Severus sifted through it with his hands.

"Wait, what's this?" Lily exclaimed, as she was ready to dump her mound for Severus to examine. What looked like a small, pinkish dandelion moved to the top layer of soil on the shovel.

"You found one!" Snape grinned. He gently removed the soil around it to expose it.

"Wow!" she grinned back. "I've never seen one of those before. And normal people can't see them?"

"You mean muggles? No, only magical people can see them," he replied as he put it in his flask. "We'll need more of them, though. One isn't enough for the healing salve I'm working on…"

"Then what are we waiting for?" she enthusiastically demanded. "Let's find more!"

Snape laughed. "Alright, let's."

They found three more glumbumbles before they finally noticed dusk was upon them. They'd been digging for hours. "I'd better get going home. Mum's gunna wonder where I am." Lily said.

"Alright, then." Snape nodded.

"Do you want to play tomorrow?" she asked.

He smiled. "Yes."

"Alright, goodbye till tomorrow, Severus."

"Goodbye, Lily."

"It's been really fun."

"It has." He smiled.

She almost turned around to go home before she stopped. "Severus?" she started.

"Yes?"

"Let's be good friends from now on."

He blushed. "I'd like that. I've never had a friend before…"

She smiled. "Then I'm happy to be your first friend." She looked at him for a moment longer as he stared at the holes they'd dug. "Bye!" She turned around quickly and ran home.

"Bye," he replied, staring at her running toward the horizon. He started to slowly walk home after he could see her no more. This was the best day he had in many years, but he wanted it to be over soon just so the next day could begin and he could be with his new friend even more.


	2. Chapter 2

Severus and Lily remained inseparable throughout that first summer of friendship. Severus always took his duty to educate Lily as thoroughly as he could about the magical world very seriously, while Lily listened attentively and grew more and more excited about the idea of going to Hogwarts.

Many days Severus would carry his cauldron to their special spot in the park, in the thicket so they could practice their potion-making skills. Severus enjoyed Lily's help with making the basic potions and both felt a satisfactory delight when experiencing the positive effects of them. Lily couldn't believe her eyes after she rubbed the healing salve on the scab on her knee and witnessed it disappear within moments.

"It looks like that was a success, unsurprisingly, really," Severus stated, smugly.

Lily was grinning ear to ear. "I can't believe this! Why don't wizards just sell this stuff to the non-magical people?"

Severus shook his head. "The Ministry of Magic forbids it. Muggles aren't supposed to know we exist."

"Why not? Magic would help people."

"That's exactly why. Muggles would want to use magic to solve all their problems, and that would really put the world into madness."

"Alright…" Lily said, considering the ramifications of exposure.

"Hey Severus…"

"Yes?" He couldn't help smiling slightly when she said his name.

"Why don't we have to use wands in order to make these potions? I thought you said that we have to use wands for magic?"

"Not everything has to be done with a wand. Just like your trick with the swings, some basic magic can be done without one. Just possessing magic is enough for these basic potions."

"I see." Lily smiled. She stood up. "Do you want to come to my house?" She asked, suddenly.

"Oh… er… I don't know," Severus said shyly, his gaze averted. "Petunia will be there and she hates me. And your parents might not like me either…"

"Don't be silly, Severus," Lily replied, emphatically. "Mum and dad have really been wanting to meet you, and you are my friend, not Tuney's."

"Alright…" Severus said slowly, standing up.

Lily smiled as she led him to her house. "You'll just have to not talk about magic stuff when around my parents. They don't really understand yet… but maybe soon they will."

"Sure they will, when you get your letter to Hogwarts," Severus confirmed.

"When will that be?" Lily asked.

"Next summer.."

Lily halted in her tracks. "You mean I have to wait a whole year?! I already can't wait to go!"

"I know how you feel," Severus sympathized. "I've been waiting all my life to go."

Lily nodded. "Well I guess then it must be worse for you."

They walked quietly for the rest of the way to Lily's house. Severus thinking about meeting her parents, Lily about Hogwarts.

"We're here," Lily said cheerfully as they approached her cheerful-looking house.

It was very different from the neighborhood Severus was used to. Spinner's End was filled with grey, dilapidated-looking houses. With the textile mill being a central presence in the neighborhood, the area attracted many working-class ruffians celebrating in their off-hours. As Severus stared at the immaculate lawn with the rose bushes, he knew he was out of his element. He was considering telling Lily he didn't belong there when she took his hand.

"Well let's go in!" She said, pulling him to the door.

"Mom, I'm home!" Lily announced as she walked in, Severus shyly standing behind her.

A short, plump, redheaded woman stepped into the living room with a radiating smile that Severus instantly recognized.

"Hello, there," she said, cheerfully. "You must be Severus. I have heard so much about you!"

"Hello, Mrs. Evans," Severus shook her hand that she had reached out to him. "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, dear." Mrs. Evans scrutinized Severus for a moment before stating, "Oh you are such a thin boy! Good thing that I have lunch prepared. Come along now, you must eat up to grow strong," she said cheerfully, gently pushing Severus into the kitchen.

He looked around the sunny kitchen with the numerous potted plants and to block out his feelings of intimidation, instead wondered if Lily would inherit her mother's love for plants and excel at Herbology.

"You have a very nice house, Mrs. Evans," Severus said, as Mrs. Evans prepared a plate of sandwiches for them.

"Thank you, dear. I try." She gave Lily and Severus a turkey sandwich. "Let me know if you want another one. I can make a roast beef one, perhaps, or even a crisp sandwich."

"Thank you," Severus said as he ate. His wondered how life would be like if his own mother prepared meals for him.

"It's good, mom," Lily said, eating her own.

"I must thank you for being such a good friend for my daughter" Mrs. Evans said. "Lily doesn't have very many friends at school, and she values her friendship very much."

Severus looked over at Lily who was lightly blushing. "Lily is my only friend, so I value our friendship too," Severus affirmed.

The three of them chatted for a while until Petunia walked into the kitchen.

"What did you bring _him _ here for?" She demanded.

Severus looked down and fiddled with the tablecloth.

"_Petunia!_ Where did you learn such discourtesy as your father and I never taught you to behave this way?" Mrs. Evans said sternly.

With a final glare, Petunia stomped out of the kitchen.

"Sorry, Severus," Lily apologized. "I don't know what Tuney's problem is."

"It's probably just jealousy," Mrs. Evans replied. "Before Lily met you, Severus, she was like Petunia's shadow, always behind her, always looking up at her with reverence. Now that she has found her own friend, Petunia isn't very accepting of this."

"I'm sorry…" Severus said. "I don't want to be the cause of resentment."

"It's not your fault!" Lily exclaimed. "I'll try to talk to her. She's still my friend too… she's more, she's my sister."

"Don't worry about this, Severus," Mrs. Evans assured. "Petunia has to learn that Lily isn't always going to be by her side. She needs to make her own friends, and live her own life too."

Severus wondered to what extreme this would come true, as Lily's family would sooner than later find out about her magical ability and the rift between sisters would only grow.

"Do you want to come play in my room?" Lily asked.

"Sure." Severus agreed, and the two of them headed upstairs to Lily's room.

Severus looked around at the very girly bedroom which was painted in Lilac with a large assortment of plush toys strewn about the room. Muggle stories for children adorened her book shelves. Severus was unfamiliar with the titles, as his room was filled mostly with magic books about potions.

Lily bounced on her bed and encouraged Severus to join her. He sat down, beside her. "Do you want to play cards, or something?" Lily asked, taking out a deck of cards from her bed stand."

"Cards? Aren't those what muggles use to perform 'magic' tricks?"

"No…." Lily hesitated. "Well, yes, but it's more common to play games with them."

"Oh… alright," Severus said, and Lily understood that he was completely unfamiliar with any sort of card game.

"How about we just start with a simple game, then." Lily then began to explain the rules of _go fish_ to Severus as she dealt the deck. Soon they were enjoying themselves with the game, much to Severus's surprise, when Lily asked about his family.

"You've been gone from home for a while," Lily said. "Do you want to ring your mum? She might be worried."

Severus shook his head. "She won't be. She doesn't really pay attention to much of anything."

"Oh…" Lily thought about this for a second. "What's your family like, anyway? Yours must be really awesome since they're magical. " Lily asked.

Severus immediately looked uncomfortable, and Lily wondered if she shouldn't have asked. "They're not that great, actually," he replied. "Dad isn't magical at all, he's a muggle. The less I see of him, the better. Mum doesn't really do much magic around the house, and whenever dad's not out drinking, he and mum are at each other's throats."

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Lily said, quietly.

"It's alright," Severus slightly smiled. "I try not to be home as much as possible."

"You can come over here any time you like," Lily said, gently.

Severus looked into her eyes and saw that she was genuine. "Thank you," he smiled.

They talked about magic while playing cards for several hours before Severus noticed it was getting dark.

"I had better go home now," Severus said, looking out the window.

"Are you sure? You could stay to meet dad and have dinner."

"Another time, perhaps," Severus replied.

"Alright, then," Lily agreed, as they headed downstairs.

Mrs. Evans saw Severus off at the door. "It was very nice having you, Severus, darling. You are welcome here any time."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans. Lunch was very nice and I had a great time."

As Mrs. Evans opened the door for Severus, they had noticed that a car was pulling into the driveway.

"Oh dad's here!" Lily explained. "It looks like you can meet him after all."

Severus immediately became nervous again. What if Mr. Evans didn't like him, as Petunia hated him. Just because Mrs. Evans was nice to him, didn't mean that Mr. Evans didn't have to be.

Lily met her father at the car. "Hello, Lily pad," Mr. Evans said, as he pat his daughter on the head.

"Dad…" Lily groaned, obviously not appreciating this nickname in front of her friend.

"Oh, hello," Mr. Evans said, noticing Severus.

"Hello, sir. I'm Severus."

"Ah, right… I have heard of you from Lily. I'm Roger," he said, shaking Severus hand.

"It's nice to meet you," Severus said, relaxing. It was nice that Petunia was the only member of the Evans family who took an instant disliking towards him.

"Severus was just on his way home," Mrs. Evans explained, thinking his mum was waiting for him.

"Alright, I won't keep you then. Do stop by again sometime," said Mr. Evans.

"Thank you, I will," Severus replied. He smiled at Lily. "Goodbye, I will see you again… tomorrow?" He asked.

"Sure," Lily replied. "At the park, as usual. Bye, Severus."

"Goodbye, dear," echoed Mrs. Evans.

Mr. Evans waved as Severus waved back and turned to go home. Severus smiled as he walked home, happy that Lily's family accepted him as she had. As with any day spent with Lily, Severus looked forward to the night being over so he could spend time with her the next day.

* * *

Summer turned into fall, and fall into winter. It had soon become too cold to stay at the park to do magic, so instead Severus went over to the Evans most days after school when Lily wasn't too busy with homework. He often waited for class to be over and met her at school.

One cold afternoon, Severus was waiting for Lily at her school. Several boys had left the building before she had. They pointed and snickered at him. When she walked out they made some offhand comments about her 'raggedy boyfriend' waiting for her when she turned around and threatened to curse them, causing them to look nervous, as if they knew she was capable of it.

"Hi, Severus," she said as she approached him.

"What was that about, anyway?" Severus asked.

"Lionel and his thugs are just annoying," Lily replied, rolling her eyes.

"If it's too embarrassing for you to be seen with me, I suppose I can wait for you at home."

"Don't be silly, Severus!" Lily said sternly. "The only reason I would ask you to do that is because it's getting cold for you to meet me here every day. Anyway, after a certain magical mishap, I haven't really been very popular," she explained, in a sadder tone.

"What happened?"

"Well… Lionel was teasing me one afternoon, calling me a know-it-all and things like that. Shortly thereafter, he was reaching a lower bookshelf for a class reader when suddenly he found the entire contents of the upper bookshelf on him."

Severus couldn't help laughing at the imagery.

Lily joined him. "I suppose it was pretty funny, considering I was just thinking of that happening. Anyway, since then he has accused me of putting curses on people, saying I know how to possess objects and use them against kids."

"Not really a curse, more like a charm," Severus explained.

"Sometimes it can work to my advantage…" Lily smiled, wryly.

Soon, Lily and Severus were in Lily's room, sipping the remains of the hot cocoa Mrs. Evans had made for them. They had evolved to playing Poker now, and talked about magic while vying for the best combinations.

"So what happens when wizards do bad things? Lily asked. Do they go to prison or get their magic taken away or something?"

"There is a prison, Azkaban. It's meant for the worst criminals, though. Those who do really bad things such as kill people or do unforgivable curses. It's also guarded by dementors."

"Dementors?"

"Dementors are vile creatures who feed off any kind of happy emotions and leave people feeling absolutely miserable. They can also kill people. It's called 'the dementor's kiss'."

"And the prisoners at Azkaban are always subjected to this?"

"Yes."

"Haven't wizards heard of 'cruel and unusual punishment'?"

Severus shrugged. "I guess not. They think that anyone who makes it to Azkaban deserves it anyway." Severus then put down his cards. "full house."

"You're getting too good, Severus!" Lily pouted. "I just have a triple."

Severus smiled. "You'll get me next round, I'm sure."

"Oh I will!"" Lily said, determinedly and began shuffling the deck.

* * *

Winter passed by quickly and Severus and Lily were happy to be outside one again. They soon found themselves back in the thicket by the river where they spent a great deal of their time doing wandless magic and discussing the magical world.

"What kinds of things do the Ministry do?" Lily asked

"They keep track of anyone who can use magic, and fix situations where muggles find out about it… _and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters."_

"_But I __**have**__ done magic outside school!" _

"_We're all right. We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But when you're eleven," he nodded importantly, "and they start training you, then you've got to go careful."_

_There was a little silence. Lilly had picked up a fallen twig and twirled it in the air, and Harry knew that she was imagining sparks trailing from it. Then she dropped the twig, leaned in toward the boy and said, "It is real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It is real, isn't it?"_

"_It's real for us," said Snape. Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and me."_

"_Really?" whispered Lily._

"_Definitely," said Snape, and even with his poorly cut hair and his odd clothes, he struck and oddly impressive figure sprawled in front of her, brimful of confidence in his destiny._

"_And will it really come by owl?" Lily whispered._

"_Normally," said Snape. "But you're Muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come and explain to your parents."_

'_Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"_

_Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair._

"_No," he said. "It doesn't make any difference."_

"_Good," said Lily, relaxing: It was clear that she had been worrying._

"_You've got loads of magic," said Snape. "I saw that. All the time I was watching you…"_

_His voice trailed away, she was not listening, but had stretched on the leafy ground and was looking up at the canopy of leaves overhead. He watched her greedily as he had watched her in the playground._

"_How are things at your house?" Lily asked._

_A little crease appeared between his eyes._

"_Fine," he said._

"_They're not arguing anymore?"_

"_Oh yes, they're arguing"," said Snape. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. "But it won't be that long and I'll be gone."_

"_Doesn't your dad like magic?"_

"_He doesn't like anything, much," said Snape._

"_Severus?"_

"_A little smile twisted Snape's mouth when she said his name._

"_Yeah?" _

"_Tell me about the dementors again."_

"_What d'you want to know about them for?"_

"_If I use magic outside school-"_

_"They wouldn't' give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too-"_

_He turned red again and shredded more leaves. Then a small rustling noise behind Harry made him turn: Petunia, hiding behind a tree, had lost her footing._

"_Tuney!" said Lily, surprise and welcome in her voice, but Snape had jumped to his feet._

"_Who's spying now?" he shouted. "What d'you want?"_

_Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. _

"_What is that you're wearing, anyway?" she said, pointing at Snape's chest. "Your mum's blouse?"_

_There was a crack: A branch over Petunia's head had fallen. Lily screamed: The branch caught Petunia on the shoulder , and she staggered backward and burst into tears._

_"Tuney!"_

_But Petunia was running away. Lily rounded on Snape._

"_Did you make that happen?"_

"_No." He looked both defiant and scared._

"_You did!" She was backing away from him. "You did! You __**hurt**__ her!"_

"_No- no I didn't!"_

_But the lie did not convince Lily. After one last burning look, she ran from the little thicket, off after her sister, and Snape looked miserable and confused… _


	3. Chapter 3

The time that Severus didn't spend at the park, looking for Lily, he spent in his room, at his dreary house on Spinner's End brooding about his screw-up. Just because he thought about the branch dropping on Petunia's head doesn't necessarily mean that he wanted it to happen. In some ways, he was lucky that his thoughts didn't translate completely to the magic that he made. Did he really lose his only friend? He'd gone to the park for 4 days now, and each time was disappointed to not find either sister there. He realized that the only way to rectify the situation would be to apologize to Petunia. It had to be done, even though he knew that she wouldn't forgive him anyway. In fact, if Lily ended up forgiving him for the transgression, Petunia would probably hate him even more.

He decided that enough was enough, and today was finally going to be the day he would seek out Petunia and apologize. He was still deep in thought as he slowly walked over to the Evans'. It was not something he found entirely worthwhile, but he had to attempt to salvage his relationship with Lily before it was too late.

He gingerly knocked on the door and to his relief, or perhaps dismay, Petunia answered it.

"What do _you_ want?" She demanded, shrilly.

"I wanted to talk to you, actually," Severus replied.

"Well I don't!" She seethed, as she tried to shut the door on his face.

Severus's foot was too quick though. "Listen, Petunia, I'm sorry about what happened. I really didn't mean for it to happen. I can't control my magic very well right now and…"

"If you didn't mean for it to happen, you would have never let it happen!" She cried.

"I know but…" Severus sighed. "I'm sorry."

She turned her nose up. "Not forgiven!"

Before she tried to shove him out of the doorway, Severus noticed a smaller hand touch her arm.

"He said he was sorry, Tuney," Lily's voice said as she opened the door and Severus sighed in relief.

"But… ugh! If you want to be friends with someone who wants to harm your family, then I don't care!" Petunia screeched as she huffed off.

Lily sighed as she gave an apologetic look to Severus. "Nothing can change her mind."

"I guess not," Severus said, meekly.

Lily stepped out on the porch and sat on the family's swinging bench. She mentioned for Severus to join her and he sat down beside her.

"Even though she doesn't appreciate your apology, I do," Lily assured. "Besides, that incident with the branch probably just reminded her of other magical 'accidents' she was the victim of." Lily wryly smiled.

"Does this mean we're friends again?" Severus asked.

"We never stopped being friends to begin with!" Lily laughed. "You're silly, Severus."

But he didn't smile back. "I thought you didn't want to be friends with me, you didn't want to see me."

"I'm sorry too," Lily replied, contritely. "Part of it was that staying away from you for a while made Tuney feel better. I mean, I have a loyalty to her too."

"It's alright. I understand."

Taking Severus off guard, she reached over and pulled him into her arms. "We'll always be best friends, Severus."

He blushed and gently returned her embrace. "Always?" he asked.

"Always," she firmly replied.

* * *

Spring had turned to summer and Severus and Lily had remained inseparable. They had both been looking forward to the notification from Hogwarts they would soon be receiving and Severus knew it was almost time when a tawny-colored owl appeared at his window one hot afternoon. He had read over his acceptance to Hogwarts carefully and wondered if his mother would go to Diagon Alley with him to buy school supplies. He wondered if they could afford it. Pondering if Lily had been contacted by the Ministry, Severus quickly ran to the park, hoping to find her there.

He knew it was good news when she had been waiting for him with the parchment in her hands, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Oh Severus it really is happening!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.

"I told you it would," he replied smugly , returning her hug.

"Did someone come to visit you?"

"Yes! My parents are still trying to understand this is no big joke. Poor mum and dad… and Tuney is just as cross as ever."

"Of course," Severus smiled. "Who came?"

"The headmaster came!" Lily asserted.

"Dumbledore?" Severus said. "He's a really powerful wizard. That must have been really great to meet him before any of the other students."

She nodded. "He was very kind and he tried to gently explain to my parents about my newfound 'abilities'. It seems that we're supposed to go to a 'Diagon Alley' to do shopping?"

"I've never been there myself, but I hear it's really exciting," Severus said.

"Hey Severus," Lily started, changing the topic. "My family goes to the beach at the end of every summer. This summer we're celebrating me going to Hogwarts. You are invited to come."

"Oh, I have never been to the beach before," Severus replied, surprised.

"Really?" Lily's eyebrows shot up. "It will be really fun for you then, since it's your first time."

"I don't really have a bathing suit, though."

Lily shook her head. "That's alright. You can't really swim at the beach anyway. It's too cold at our beaches. It should be warm there, though. Just wear some shorts…. And oh, do you have sandals?"

"No…" Severus looked away, embarrassed.

"That's alright," Lily encouraged. "You can just go barefoot."

"Are you sure your parents don't mind me coming?"

"Of course not! Actually, it was mum who suggested you come. They want to question you about Hogwarts too, I'm sure."

"Alright. Thanks for inviting me."

"We're going this weekend, so just stop by in the morning."

"Ok, I will. I'm looking forward to it." Severus smiled.

"Now, what can you tell me about wands?" Lily asked as she started walking to their spot by the river.

"Well, they vary by shape and size a little, but…" Severus began explaining as they happily walked onwards, discussing the magical world they would soon be full members of.

Severus woke up excited the morning he was to go to the beach with the Evanses. He wondered what the beach would be like. He had an image of white sand and a blazing sun. He imagined the clear, blue water and muggles swimming in it. But wait, didn't Lily say that the water at the nearby beaches was too cold to swim in? Perhaps it was best not to come there with any expectations. He was most looking forward to spending the day with Lily, anyway.

"Hello there, Severus," Mrs. Evans said cheerfully, answering the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Evans."

"Now, dear, since I have learned you have been teaching my daughter these secret magic things all along, how about you and I speak more familiarly? You can call me Rose," she said.

Severus hesitated before saying "Alright then, good morning, Rose."

"That's better. Come in now and wait a minute, we're still rallying the troops," she shuffled Severus inside as she called for Lily to come down.

"Hi Severus!" Lily greeted, as she came down the stairs. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress, sandals and a floppy beach hat. "You ready to go to the beach?"

"Yes, I've been looking forward to it. You look nice," he said, blushing.

She laughed. "Thank you. I've been looking forward to it too."

Soon Petunia and her father came downstairs too. Petunia flashed him a dirty look, but didn't say anything as the family went out to the car. Severus was glad that Lily sat in the middle so that he didn't have to sit next to Petunia.

Severus soon found himself enjoying the scenery during the drive to the beach with the windows down. Lily and Rose were humming along to muggle music on the radio while he waved his arm out the window and let the wind play with it. He rarely found himself in a car and the warm breeze felt good against his skin.

"So if this 'Hogwarts' a good school?" Roger asked.

"It's the only magical school in Britain, but it's really a great school. It's hundreds of years old and it has been training wizards to hone their magic and be good members of magical society for that long."

"Doesn't sound bad," he replied.

"If you like, I can let you read my _Hogwarts, A History_ text book."

"That would be nice, thank you."

"So what do wizards and witches do for fun? Any kind of extra curricular activities?" Rose asked.

"There are lots of clubs students can join. My mother was captain of the school's Gobstones team. It's a type of game wizards play. There is also the sport called 'Quidditch' that we play with brooms. I don't really know much about the rules, but it's very popular."

"I see… "Rose replied, soaking in all the new information. "News of Lily's magical abilities came as a shock to us. We're all trying to get used to the idea of her going away to a magical school."

"I'll be fine, mum," said Lily, trying to soothe her mother's worries. "Besides, Severus will be with me. I won't be alone," she said, smiling at Severus.

"Of course, dear," Rose replied. "But a mother has to worry."

"I'll take care of Lily," Severus convinced.

"The sooner you freaks leave, the better," Petunia muttered. Lily's parents couldn't hear her, but Lily could. Trying not to look hurt, she ignored the comment.

Soon the family had arrived at the beach. After helping the family unload, Lily cried "Let's go!" and grabbed Severus's hand so they could both run to the shore.

"Take off your shoes," Lily instructed. "So we can wade in the water."

Severus obeyed and soon they had found themselves standing on the shallow shore, letting the waves hit their feet. Severus smiled. "You're right, it is cold." Noticing Lily holding down her dress from being blow up by the wind he added "windy too."

She smiled back. "I guess I should have known not to wear a dress here."

"It's very nice though," he insisted, burying his feet further into the pebbly sand.

They stayed there for a moment longer, before walking onward.

"Will we still be able to see each other as much, at Hogwarts?" Lily asked, concerned that she could be driven away from her best friend at school.

"If we were in the same house, we'd be able to see each other a lot more, but we'll have some classes together, inevitably and we can still be together during our free time."

"What kinds of 'houses'?" She pondered.

"Oh I guess I haven't told you about that. All Hogwarts students are sorted into one of four houses where they live and study. It's like your community."

"What are the houses?"

"Slytherin, the best house which values cunning and ambition, Ravenclaw which values wit and intelligence, Hufflepuff which values loyalty and acceptance, and Gryffindor which values recklessness and heroism."

"It doesn't sound like you think too highly of Gryffindor," Lily said, raising her eyebrows.

"Slytherin and Gryffindor are enemies, they always have been, since the days of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin."

"What if I were sorted into Gryffindor?" Lily asked.

"I guess I'd have to renounce our friendship," Severus replied, emotionless.

"What?" Lily said, disbelieving.

Severus's smile gave him away. "I'm just pulling your leg. We'll still be friends even if you're sorted into the reckless dunderhead house."

"That's not funny, Severus!" Lily said, swatting him.

"Anyway, I think you'd make a pretty good Slytherin," Severus replied, wondering if it even was possible for a muggle-born to be sorted into the house of Slytherin, which valued pure blood. It must be possible, times were changing after all.

The two of them enjoyed the rest of the afternoon talking while looking for seashells. Severus blushed when Lily's hands, full of small shells couldn't quite get a grip on her dress, being blown up from the wind. He helped by holding it down until the wind died down a bit. She laughed, blushed a little and thanked him. After the picnic lunch, where more questions were asked about the wizarding world, Lily and Severus were laying side-by-side quietly on the warm pebbles, enjoying the sun with their eyes closed.

After a long while, Severus spoke. "I'm having a very good time, Lily. Thanks for inviting me. Actually, this is probably the best day I've ever had."

Lily sat up, flattered that Severus enjoyed spending the day with her at the beach so much. "This is the best time I've ever had at the beach. I'm glad that you came. I enjoy spending time with my best friend, and I love you."

Severus sat up, meeting his dark eyes with her gentle green before he looked away, his eyes filling with tears.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lily gently questioned.

"No, you didn't. It's just that…. no one has ever said that to me before," he admitted.

"Oh…" Lily said no more, instead the two of them sat there in silence for a minute before Severus heard sniffling and he had to look over.

"Are you ok, Lily?" He asked, as she wiped off the tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Severus. I know I shouldn't be feeling so sorry for you, but that's just… so sad."

Stunned by her outpouring emotion, he sat there for several seconds not knowing quite how to respond until he realized that he had to do what she would do for him in this situation. He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you too, Lily. And trust me, that's enough for me." He continued to hold her, letting her cry on his shoulder, hoping that she wouldn't notice his tears, mirroring hers.


End file.
